Daily Kos Elections liveblog thread #7

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Results: AK, GA, ID, MA, ND, OH, OK, TN, VT, VA

6:46 PM PT (Jed Lewison): Ann Romney's victory speech is longer than Newt's, I think. Through it all, Mitt has a grin plastered on his face. He's finally at the podium.

Mitt seems to do better in states where he owns a house. Seems like for a guy that rich there's an easy fix.
— @HunterDK via TweetDeck

6:47 PM PT (Jed Lewison): So Romney takes the stage having won Vermont. Massachusetts. And Virginia, where his opponents weren't on the ballot. Newt Gingrich won the biggest delegate prize, Georgia. And Santorum won handily in Tennessee and Oklahoma.

6:48 PM PT (Jed Lewison): Who the hell writes his speeches? "We're counting up the delegates for the convention and that looks good, and we're counting down the days to November, and that looks even better." I mean that is a terrible, awful line.

6:48 PM PT (David Nir): By the way, it looks like Mitt Romney won't clear 60% in Virginia, where he and Ron Paul were the only candidates on the ballot.

6:48 PM PT (Jed Lewison): My opponents have worked very hard, Mitt said. "Thanks, you guys, nice races." What the hell does that even mean? Is Mitt losing his mind before our very eyes?

6:50 PM PT (Jed Lewison): Oh my gosh. Is Romney stealing Santorum's line? He's praising some entrepreneur who didn't go to college and doesn't have an engineering degree.

6:51 PM PT (Jed Lewison): Mitt is smacking his lips again. That's one of his most unappealing mannerisms. And that's saying something.

6:52 PM PT (David Nir): In the North Dakota caucuses (where we have no exit polls), about 35% of the vote has been counted so far. Santo is up 39-27... over Ron Paul. Yep, Mitt Romney's in 3rd place, with 26%.

How does Mittens give a speech about any momentum when he's had to spend a ton of cash just to beat Rick Santorum? #SuperTuesday
— @pamspaulding via web

6:54 PM PT (David Nir): In OH-02 (R), Schmidt's lead has shrunk slightly, to 49-41 per the AP, with 17% reporting.

6:54 PM PT (Jed Lewison): I have to say, I think Romney's speech screams of panic and manic.

6:55 PM PT (Jed Lewison): Romney clearly giving this speech from a teleprompter.

6:56 PM PT (David Jarman): Turning briefly back to Tennessee, where it's already been called statewide for Santorum (currently 38-28 over Romney, with 62% reporting) but where it was expected to be close and some of the congressional districts seemed likely to go to Romney. It looks like Romney will be lucky to get only one, at most two CDs. He's currently only winning two counties in the whole state, Davidson (Nashville) and Williamson (Nashville's wealthiest burbs). That would give him only TN-05, and possibly TN-07.

6:57 PM PT (Jed Lewison): Now the father of Obamacare pledging to repeal his progeny.

Dude, you're barely holding your own against Rick Santorum. You're not impressing anyone.
— @HunterDK via TweetDeck